New Orleans Jazz
The New Orleans Jazz were a team in the National Basketball Association from 1974 to 1979 based in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1979, the franchise was moved to Salt Lake City, Utah & renamed the Utah Jazz. History On June 7, 1974, the New Orleans Jazz were admitted as an expansion franchise into the NBA. Team officials selected the name because of its definition in the dictionary: collective improvisation. They began its inaugural season in New Orleans in the 1974–75 season. The team's first major move was to trade for star player Pete Maravich (who had played college basketball at LSU) from the Atlanta Hawks for two first-round draft picks, three second-round picks, and one third-round pick over the next three years. Although he was considered one of the most entertaining players in the league and won the scoring championship for the 1976–77 season with 31.1 points per game, the Jazz's best record while in New Orleans was 39–43 in the 1977–78 season. Maravich struggled with knee injuries from that season onward until they ended in 1985. Venue issues were a continual problem for the team while it was based in New Orleans. In the Jazz's first season, they played in the Municipal Auditorium and Loyola Field House where the basketball court was raised so high that the NBA Players Association made the team put a net around the court to prevent players from falling off of the court and into the stands. Later, the Jazz played games in the cavernous Louisiana Superdome, but things were no better, because of high demand for the stadium, onerous lease terms & Maravich's constant knee problems. The team also faced the prospect of spending a whole month on the road each year due to New Orleans' Mardi Gras festivities (similar to the long road trip faced by the San Antonio Spurs each season during their city's rodeo). Years later, founding owner Sam Battistone claimed that there was no contingency plan in case the Jazz had ever qualified for the playoffs; however, Bill Curl (the Superdome's manager at the time) said that the stadium's management always submitted a list of potential playoff dates to the Jazz management, but these letters were never answered. After what turned out to be their final season in New Orleans, the New Orleans Jazz were dealt a further humiliation when the Los Angeles Lakers selected Magic Johnson with the first overall pick in the 1979 NBA draft; the pick would have been the Jazz's had they not traded it to acquire Gail Goodrich two years earlier. Also, the Jazz had given up the rights to Moses Malone in order to regain one of the three first-round picks used for the Goodrich trade; the combination of Johnson and Malone blossoming into Hall of Famers & Goodrich's ineffective, injury-ruined few years in New Orleans made this transaction one of the most lopsided in NBA history. Moving to Utah Despite being barely competitive, the New Orleans Jazz drew well during their first five years; however, by 1979, the franchise was sinking financially. Barry Mendelson, the team's executive vice president for most of the early years, said one factor in the financial trouble was an 11-percent amusement tax, highest in the U.S. at the time. The team were also unable to attract much local corporate support (an important factor even in those days) or local investors. Battistone concluded that the franchise would not be viable in New Orleans and decided to move it. After scouting several new homes, he decided on Salt Lake City, even though it was a smaller market. Salt Lake City had previously been home to the Utah Stars of the American Basketball Association from 1970 to 1976. The Stars had been extremely popular in the city and had even won an ABA title in their first season after moving from Los Angeles, California; however, their finances collapsed in their last two seasons, and they were shut down by the league 16 games into the 1975–76 season after missing payroll. Although Salt Lake City was not known for its jazz culture, the team decided to keep the name because there was not enough time before the start of the 1979–80 season to receive league approval for a name change. The Jazz also preserved the original Mardi Gras-themed colors: green, purple, and gold. Coaching History *1974: Scotty Robertson *1974; 1976-1979: Elgin Baylor *1974-1976: Butch van Breda Kolff Facts *Location: New Orleans, Louisiana *Arena: Loyola Field House (1974–1975); Municipal Auditorium (1974–1975); Louisiana Superdome (1975–1979) Category:National Basketball Association teams Category:Teams in Louisiana